A concise look at rising campaign spending and the pressure it puts on American politics.
The piece moves from anniversary banter into Simon Marks's case that campaign spending in American politics is rising to a scale that is harder to ignore.

Washington pressure, reported with edge.
Simon Marks Reporting is a fast, pointed dispatch from Washington politics, often heard through LBC exchanges. It tracks Trump-era foreign policy, court fights, campaign money, Iran, NATO, and America’s own anxious self-image.
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Simon Marks Reporting is a Washington-centered news analysis show with a distinctly LBC ear. It watches American politics closely, but not reverently. Recent episodes circle Donald Trump’s presidency, where foreign policy, domestic law, personal grievance, and public spectacle keep colliding. The pace is brisk. A story about America’s 250th birthday can become a discussion of heat on the National Mall, claims about communism, birthright citizenship, and doubts about the country’s future cohesion. The show is strongest when it connects the day’s absurdity to the machinery beneath it. Supreme Court decisions are framed through executive power. Campaign money is treated as a structural force, not a side note. Iran coverage tracks the Strait of Hormuz, naval blockades, possible talks in Islamabad, and the risk created when presidential commentary runs ahead of diplomacy. NATO, Europe, Giorgia Maloney, Pope Leo XIV, and J.D. Vance all enter as part of a wider map of American pressure on allies and adversaries. The delivery has bite. It can be dry, impatient, and sharply funny, especially when official messaging contradicts itself in real time. Still, the show is not just outrage. It keeps returning to practical consequences: who gets power, who pays, who benefits, and what institutions can still restrain the White House. The LBC exchange format adds energy, with presenters pushing for clarity and Simon Marks supplying context from Washington. Listeners get compact briefings rather than sprawling panel talk. The recurring question is simple and severe: what happens when the world’s most powerful office becomes unpredictable? Simon Marks Reporting answers through daily detail, legal stakes, diplomatic fallout, and a steady suspicion of easy official narratives.
Made for: For listeners who want U.S. politics and foreign policy explained quickly, skeptically, and with context beyond the American news cycle. It suits people tracking Trump, courts, elections, alliances, and global crises.
What sets it apart: The show pairs Washington reporting with LBC exchanges, giving major U.S. stories a sharper outside angle. It is especially good at linking presidential behavior to legal, diplomatic, and democratic consequences.
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A concise look at rising campaign spending and the pressure it puts on American politics.
The piece moves from anniversary banter into Simon Marks's case that campaign spending in American politics is rising to a scale that is harder to ignore.
A sceptical Trump-era foreign-policy segment focused on blame, damage, and the fallout from Iran.
This episode treats Trump as a figure who leaves a mess behind and expects someone else to tidy it up. James O'Brien keeps coming back to the space between the talk of regime change and the harder reality in Iran, where the damage, the economic risk, and the diplomatic fallout…



Politics, war, media, and no patience.

Policy signals before they become consequences.


James O'Brien hosts Simon Marks to analyze President Trump's announcement about considering U.S.
Simon Marks reports on Attorney General Pam Bondi's sudden departure from the Trump administration, driven by her failure to prosecute political opponents and contentious oversight hearings.
This episode discusses President Trump's surprise military operation against Iran, focusing on the lack of congressional consultation and potential legal violations under U.S.
Donald Trump framed Iran policy as a choice between a deal and annihilating the Islamic Republic.
LBC's Simon Marks explains the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling rejecting the Trump administration's challenge to birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, tracing the provision back to the Civil War, and notes Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has floated banning pregnant women from flying to the US in response.
On May 10, 2026, Nick Abbott speaks with Simon Marks, LBC's Washington correspondent, about Donald Trump's rejection of Iran's response as “totally unacceptable.” Marks identifies Iran's reported demands over the Strait of Hormuz, American sanctions, frozen assets, and uranium enrichment.
UK ambassador Christian Turner tells students that America’s likely special relationship is with Israel, not the UK, challenging the government’s position during the King’s 2026 Washington visit.
This episode discusses Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to US naval blockades, recent ship attacks in the area, and the volatile peace negotiations involving contradictory statements from Iranian and US leadership.
This episode analyzes how Donald Trump's contradictory social media commentary undermines U.S.
This episode discusses President Trump's increasing instability, as evidenced by his erratic behavior and statements regarding Iran, including a social media threat and subsequent deal-making that may end a conflict but raises concerns about his mental state and foreign policy decisions.
This episode discusses President Trump's shifting stance on Iran, from calling for regime change to seeking a grand bargain, while questioning why reporters aren't highlighting this inconsistency.
This episode covers the diplomatic fallout between President Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after she defended Pope Leo XIV from Trump's attacks amid tensions over the Iran war.
This episode discusses President Trump's consideration of withdrawing the United States from NATO and the controversy surrounding a potential state dinner between the King of Britain and Trump.
This episode discusses South Africa's diplomatic protest against the new US Ambassador Brent Bozell, analyzing Washington's potential reactions and the ambassador's controversial background.
This episode discusses the ongoing war on Iran, focusing on the rising US military casualties and the lack of a clear plan from the Trump administration for the conflict's outcome.
This episode analyzes how President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu launched a war against Iran without a clear strategy or plan for ending the conflict, creating dangerous instability in the Middle East.